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I love to read books for people of all ages. But there is something about this series that I just don't like very much. Maybe it's because the story revolves around kids that are in fourth grade and they are all falling in love with each other.

Look, I know kids are growing up a little faster these days then they did when I went to elementary school, but kids generally are not dating in fourth grade. I should know, I was an elementary school teacher for a while and still work in the school system. Boys are really only interested in video games at that age, not yucky girls.

The other issue I have is with the artwork. I guess I don't like it very much. So many of the panels are cluttered, which causes me not to really look at them very intently.

My daughter tried to read this series when she was 12-years old and didn't like it at all. She also didn't like the way the artist drew the eyes, which is way too big, in both of our opinions.

Sugar Sugar Rune: Volume 4 continues the story about two girls vying to be the next Queen of the Magical World. It is funny how Vanilla has become the evil one now and Chocolat is the nice one. The artwork, like mentioned above, is cluttered and funky. It is not even close to what I like looking at. The story is hokey and a little scattered, but can easily be followed.

Overall, Sugar Sugar Rune: Volume 4 is not bad, but I sure wish it was a lot better. Maybe things will be different in Sugar Sugar Rune: Volume 5. I can only hope so, but I doubt it.

Read information about the author

See also: 安野モヨコ

Moyoko Anno (安野 モヨコ) is a Japanese manga artist and a fashion writer, with numerous books published in both categories. Her manga and books have attained considerable popularity among young women in Japan. Though she primarily writes manga of the josei demographic, her most popular series, Sugar Sugar Rune, (serialized in Nakayoshi) is targeted at primary school-aged girls. In a recent Oricon poll, she was voted the number eight most popular manga artist among females and thirteen in the general category. Her manga Happy Mania was made into a television series in 1998, followed by Hataraki Man in October 2007. Sakuran was made into a movie in 2006.In the movie Japan Sinks, she has a cameo role alongside her husband; their characters were also married. The movie was directed by Shinji Higuchi, who, like her husband Hideaki Anno, is a co-founder of Gainax.

Anno won the 29th Kodansha Manga Award for children's manga in 2005 for Sugar Sugar Rune.